Film buffs are obsessed with trying to predict award nominees and winners. The best place to look for clues are the earlier ceremonies, so January's Golden Globes are a good place to start. They divide their main film awards into two categories: Drama and Musical/Comedy.

Of the five nominees for the Best Picture Oscar, four of them had nods at the Globes - three of them in the drama contest. All five Leading Actress Oscar nominees got the nod at the Globes - four of them for dramas. Four Leading Actor Oscar hopefuls were up for Globes too - all of them for dramas. The Academy prefers dramas.

It also likes familiar faces. This is Tom Hanks' fifth Best Actor nomination, with two wins under his belt already. Both were preceded by Golden Globes success, which he had again this year.

The Oscars Academy and BAFTA have the same list of directing nominees, four of whom they share with the Globes. In all three cases, Stephen Soderbergh picked up two nominations, as he did with the Directors Guild of America awards. Only four times since the DGA launched its award in 1949 has its winner not taken an Oscar home.

Most of the prize-giving bodies have similar lists of hopefuls, but occasionally, they fall out of step usually, not without good reason.

Films are sometimes released in different years in different countries: Best Actress BAFTA nominee Hilary Swank doesn't have an Oscar nomination, as she won that award last year.

Academies tend to be patriotic: BAFTA's Best Supporting Actor nominees include "Billy Elliot"'s Gary Lewis and a posthumous nod for "Gladiator"'s Oliver Reed, neither of whom is up for an Oscar.

See video interviews of Hollywood's finest stars who attended this year's BAFTA ceremony.

This year's Oscars will take place on Sunday 25th March 2001

Find out more about the Awards Season 2001 and what they stand for.

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